Employers that offer interesting work, provide regular recognition and opportunities for quick advancement are the most popular targets for job seekers, according to the findings of a global recruitment survey.
The survey – by consultancy Accenture – asked more than 4,100 job seekers in 21 countries to identify the most-valued career goals of both entry-level and experienced job seekers.
The findings indicate that challenging and interesting work is the most important characteristic that job seekers look for in employers, selected by 60% of all respondents. The potential for recognition and reward was a close second, selected by 58% of employees.
Other characteristics were: opportunities for fast career growth (44%); indications that the employer is well established and is likely to have long-term prosperity (42%); and indications that a company has a particular focus on its people (42%).
Respondents from the UK, backed this up with two-thirds of respondents (67%) believing that challenging and interesting work is their number one priority when seeking a potential employer.
“Interestingly, we found that what is considered important to potential recruits was remarkably consistent across geographies,” said John Campagnino, Accenture’s global director of recruitment.
“The research also validated what many of us intuitively know: that tangible benefits such as rewards and recognition are most important from an external recruit’s perspective.”
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Key survey findings:
The employer characteristics job seekers are looking for:
- Challenging and interesting work 60%
- Recognises and rewards accomplishments 58%
- Provides an opportunity for fast career growth and advancement 44%
- Financially strong/will prosper in the long run 42%
- People-oriented 42%
- Offers flexible work arrangements 41%
- Innovative 33%
- Approachable 27%
- Team-oriented environment 27%
- Global company 26%
